Motivation
by Pyromaniiak
Summary: Oneshot. A continuation from episode 239, with the scant information provided through the rest of the arc. Hope you like it!


**I thought of this after watching episode 239. I love the relationship between Toshiro and Hyorinmaru. It's so warm. **

**I don't own Bleach. **

The air was rent with the sound of shattering glass that crashed on ears for miles. A giant ice dragon hovered in the air, outlined by light glinting off of ice powder surrounding it. It fragile looking wings curved protectively around a small figure, hanging in the air, momentarily weightless.

A puff of breath escaped from frozen lips, momentarily visible in the cold air. His hand twitched, and Toshirou Hitsugaya slowly opened his eyes, tracing them upwards to look at the monolith hanging in the air above him.

"Do you remember now?" He asked, eyes glazed. "Now then, I'm no child. I'm Hitsugaya Toshirou…"

His voice faded, and the dragon stretched its head upwards, and let out a long roar, its form brightening then shattering to pieces. A tall man floated down to the boy, plucking his unconscious and wounded form from the sky.

His master. The one he had known all his too long life, and who he had protected on so many occasions.

The one he had forgotten. And the one who had fought to get him back. He looked down at his charge with a hint of a smile, but with sadness in his eyes. Their bond had been so strong, yet it had only taken a moment to wipe all that from his mind, and pull him from his master's side.

His feet touched the ground, and Hyorinmaru felt gravity seize him once again. His human form was not the one he would rather spend time in, but in the rocky area he was currently standing there was no other way to carry the boy without the threat of injury to himself and Toshirou. And his master was already injured from the recent fight. No need to add more pain.

The orange haired Shinigami approached as he knelt, gently placing Toshirou on the ground, holding his shoulders to prevent him from falling over.

"He hit me with everything he had and helped me to regain my memories."

He said quietly, half to himself, and half to the Shinigami approaching. He gazed down at Toshirou, then directed his words to the Shinigami.

"Please let him rest for a while."

The boy nodded slowly, then flash stepped away.

Hyorinmaru sat, enjoying the ice temperatures for a moment then looked down in concern as the boy's body stiffened, then relaxed. Hyorinmaru glanced down at the look on Toshirou's face, then a red stain on the teal background of the boy's haori drew his eye, and he hastily froze the area. The scope of Toshiro's injuries was large, as Hyorinmaru was now noticing, small cuts and bruises beginning to form on his master's face and he needed medical treatment. There was no time for thinking, no time for worrying, even though his whole soul was filled with worry for his young master now.

There was no time to waste. Hyorinmaru scooped Toshiro back into his arms, and raced for the 4th Division. The scenery blurred, first grey from rocks, then trees flew past in a blur of green and brown. He adjusted his course, aiming for the reiatsu that was familiar. Toshirou had always been reluctant to visit her. Hyorinmaru smiled, remembering the late night escapades his master had attempted when he was stuck in the 4th division from injuries. It had been on one of those escape attempts that Toshirou had become friends with Byakuya Kuchiki, whose reiatsu was far away at the moment. Hyorinmaru smiled grimly to himself. That was a fight he would rather avoid with Toshirou this way.

The white walls of Seireitei loomed in the distance surrounded by the small huts of Rukongai. The gates were firmly locked, and guarded carefully. Hyorinmaru frowned. He couldn't fight while holding Toshirou, but there was no way the boy would leave his arms for anything but medical treatment. And even that was a stretch. Hyorinmaru had finally found where he belonged after what seemed like an eternity, and he wasn't about to give it up for anything, not after looking back on his time without memories.

There was only one way to get into the Seireitei now. Hyorinmaru turned to the side, heading towards the Junrinan. Toshirou had been miserable most of the time there, but he had found solace in the gate keeper, Jidanbou. Maybe the sight of his old friend would convince the burly gatekeeper to open the gate.

Jidanbou was leaning against the gate, his twin axes propped against the wall next to him, but he rose and grabbed his axes as Hyorinmaru approached.

"No one is allowed to enter the Seireitei! I will-" A flash of white drew his eye and stopped his sentence at the same moment as he recognized the unconscious figure. "Toushirou? What…" His expressed turned to one of horror, and worry.

Hyorinmaru paused long enough to see his face, and glanced down at Toshirou. The boy was pale, his skin closer to white than was healthy. A cut on his forehead was staining his hair red, and his clothes were hanging from his thin body, some places stained red with blood. Hyorinmaru winced slightly at the

sight. He had done this. But he pushed the thought back for another time.

"He's hurt badly. I need to be let into the Seireitei, to the fourth division."

Jidanbou's eyes widened. "I can't…Toshirou…" Then he shook his head wildly. Hyorinmaru's heart sank, then lifted as Jidanbou lifted the gate.

"The alarm might go off as soon as you enter. So move fast. Toushirou…tell him to visit me sometime. You remind me of him, somehow…" He grunted with exertion. "Now go!"

Hyorinmaru nodded and dashed through the opening, ignoring the alarm that sounded as soon as his foot crossed the line of the door. The gate was shut and the intruder long gone by the time the Shinigami, weary from fighting the Zanpakutous, arrived to apprehend him.

Hyorinmaru made his way across the destroyed rubble of the Seireitei, heading across to the fourth division. He considered transforming to his other form. With the tension in the air, seeing him flying across the Seiretei would only cause panic and attacks. But it wouldn't help Toshirou if he was attacked at the fourth division, mistaken as a freed Zanpakutou come to attack the injured.

He decided on a compromise, letting out weak pulses of icy reiatsu, similar to Toshirou's. The healer captain was waiting when he reached the fourth, accompanied by several other Shinigami, one in a flowery kimono, the other with white hair that had been Toshirou's captain at one time. The healer captain showed no surprise at seeing Hyorinmaru carrying a heavily injured and unconscious Toshirou, but motioned for him to follow her into the barracks, all the while smiling that small smile that would convince even Toshirou to stay in bed.

The next few hours were a blur as healers worked on Toshirou, bandaging wounds and using kidou on the more serious ones. Hyorinmaru was finally allowed into the room after a few agonizing hours. The room was quiet, and Hyorinmaru found himself looking at his master's pallid face.

Why had he not known the minute he had seen the face he was looking at now that he was home? There had been a feeling in his soul when he had seen him, but he had rejected the thought that a mere child could ever wield his powers.

But the main question was why. Why had Muramasa separated the Zanpakutou from their Shinigami? Why were the Zanpakutou attacking? Why had Muramasa seen fit to erase his memories? Why had he attacked his master?

Hyorinmaru sat in the room in a chair by his bedside, eyes trained on his master's face, the questions rolling around his head. He barely noticed when Hinamori Momo and Rangiku Matsumoto joined him in sitting by his master's bedside, then left after placing a vase of flowers on the table. He simply sat, watching as the sun reflected off Toshirou's pallid complexion, then the moon doing the same, bouncing off white hair and turquoise eyes…

Hyorinmaru froze as Toshirou blinked slowly, then turned his head to look at his surroundings. A look of annoyance crossed his face as he recognized the fourth division symbol on the door, then his eyes fell on Hyorinamaru's still form.

An unreadable look flashed through Toshirou's eyes and he sat up, hand going to his chest as it burned painfully.

"You!"

Hyorinmaru held out a hand as if to stop him from moving. "Rest. Your body went through much to get me back."

Understanding bloomed in the child's eyes and he nodded stiffly, turning to look out the window. There were sounds of screaming and explosions in the distance.

"It's time I got out of bed." He moved to exit the bed, but stopped at Hyorinmaru's next words.

"Believe in them. Your friends are stronger than you'd expect. And Unohana-taicho would not be happy to see your empty bed."

Toshirou nodded, a slight grin breaking out on his face, then relaxed into his pillows, falling asleep in seconds.

Hyorinmaru watched his chest rise and fall, then sat, smiling inside. Those few words exchanged were all they had needed to reassure both dragon and master that all was well between them once again. And some of his questions had been answered. He had attacked Toshirou because of pride, the pride that flows through a dragon and would not let him believe Toshirou was his master, just as it had before they had achieved bankai and he had truly accept Toshirou as his master. Muramasa was seeking that bond between Zanpakutou and master, the one that Toshirou had proved could not be broken. And his memories had been erased because of their bond, and the fact that it could not be broken. His instincts were awakened when Muramasa had spoken, but his instincts were to stay and protect the boy who had answered his call.

And that had made all the difference between him and the Zanpakutou spirits fighting some distance away.


End file.
